SF chihuahuas finally take off for NYC

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San Francisco’s most press-friendly pups will get a red-carpet sendoff to New York City on Wednesday morning after Operation Chihuahua was canceled in late December due to bad holiday weather.

At 6:15 a.m., 15 of the orphaned Chihuahuas from San Francisco’s Animal Care & Control will board their Virgin American flight from San Francisco International Airport. It was the first available flight they could catch to New York City after they were kicked off their pre-Christmas flight, says Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for Animal Control. Several volunteers from the airline will escort the dogs on the flight, and track their journey with real-time updates via the airline’s in-flight WiFi service.

San Francisco’s shelters have been overcrowded with unwanted Chihuahuas, forcing the agency to look elsewhere to locate the yappy dogs. Apparently, Chihuahuas are both rare and wanted in New York City, where shelters are eagerly awaiting their arrival, Campbell said.

But this airlift won’t cure the Chihuahua crowding at local shelters. According to Campbell, after this take-off, there will still be seven Chihuahuas left at the shelter, and more to come.

“This isn’t the end,” Campbell said. “We will see more (Chihuahuas) throughout the year.”